A BANKER left in a coma after he was shot in the head in the Bahamas has died.

Investment company boss Hywel Jones, 55, originally from Wales, was ambushed last month as he arrived for work on the outskirts of the city of Nassau on the tropical New Providence Island.

A lone gunman shot him in the back of the head before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

He underwent emergency surgery on two bullet wounds at the Doctors Hospital in Nassau but never regained consciousness.

On Friday night it is understood a decision was taken to withdraw life support by his family and Mr Jones died shortly afterwards.

Family friend Peter Thomas said: “It is a tragic loss and everyone who knew him is very upset because he was such a nice well liked man, a real character.

“His family are absolutely devastated.

“His 87-year-old mother had only recently moved there to live with him. They can’t believe what has happened. His mother and brother Illtyd, who flew over from California, have been at his bedside since this happened last month.”

Mr Jones’ brother has now put up a $50,000 reward for information in a bid to help police track the gunman who carried out the execution style shooting.

The money was collected by friends and family of Mr Jones.

The banker had told friends he feared for his safety in the weeks leading up to the shooting after previously being attacked at his home.

US-based financial journalist David Marchant, a friend of Hywel’s, said: “I hope the police can pull their finger out and solve this.”

Friend Owain Davies, 44, from South Wales, said: “Hywel is such a friendly guy. We were out there staying with him a couple of years ago and he was very welcoming to us all.”

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: “We were notified by the family over the weekend and we are providing the family with consular assistance.”

It is understood that Mr Jones was brought up in North Wales before his family moved to Cardiff.

He had lived in the Caribbean since the mid 1990s and became a prominent member of the financial sector in the Bahamas.

He had been director of the Bankers Association of The Bahamas and The Bahamas Institute of Bankers.

Mr Jones then went on to the form his own company Britannia Investment, based on New Providence Island.

He had been involved in a civil suit with his former business partner, Lester Turnquest.

Police have said they do not believe the attack is a random shooting but despite interviewing a number of people they have not made any arrests.

They have still not released a sketch of the suspect – three weeks after the attack.

A friend of Mr Jones in the Bahamas, who asked not to be named, said: “The only way our police force and government will continue to aggressively look for Mr Jones’ killer is if the international press is paying close attention.”